Abstract
Existing literature considering constructions of mental health and illness from an
indigenous South African worldview is scarce. This is particularly true of inhabitants of
rural communities who are often marginalised and excluded due to their limited access
to mental health resources. This study therefore aimed to explore the indigenous
subjective viewpoints about mental health and illness among the residents of Makholokoeng in Harrismith, a small town situated in the Free State Province of South
Africa. The purpose was to address the absence of indigenous worldviews in literature
about the constructions of mental health and illness.
This study assumed a qualitative methodology. Convenience and snowball sampling
methods were utilised to recruit participants, with data generated through telephonic
interviews with five participants, using open-ended questions. To understand the
meaning of the data, a thematic analysis process was utilised.
The findings of this study revealed three central themes. Theme One, namely
alienation and mental disturbance, yielded two sub-themes: distrust and
disconnection, and loss of hope. Theme Two, namely belonging and mental wellbeing
also yielded two sub-themes: connections and relationships, and being of value to
others and feeling valued. Theme Three, namely navigating ambivalence had no subthemes.
Navigating ambivalence was identified as an anomaly as it deviated from the
other themes. This theme denoted challenges that participants encountered whilst
trying to make sense of the tensions between the values of African culture and a world
that reflects the dominant values of Western culture.
The findings of this study highlight the importance of understanding how indigenous
African people construct mental health and illness. Implications for overlooking
indigenous communities’ constructions of mental health and illness may be a
persistence in the application of psychology that falls short in meeting the worldviews
of indigenous people and related needs.
Keywords: social constructionism, community psychology, mental health and illness,
African indigenous knowledge, South Africa